Is 160 lbs overweight for 5'8"?

No — 160 lbs is within the healthy range for 5'8".

At 160 lbs (72.6 kg) and 5'8" (172.7 cm), the BMI is 24.3 — normal weight.

Someone 172.7 cm tall has a healthy weight window of 122–164 kg, derived from the standard adult BMI range.

BMI scale WHO BMI categories from 14 to 42 with a marker at 24.3. Under Normal Over Ob I Ob II+ BMI 24.3 14 42
Your BMI of 24.3 sits in the normal weight band. Cutoffs: 18.5, 25, 30, 35 (WHO).

Reviewed by the SnapBMI editorial team. Last updated: .

What the numbers mean for you

You have 4 lbs (2.0 kg) of headroom before crossing into overweight (BMI 25 = 164 lbs (74.6 kg)).

Your BMI band midpoint is BMI 21.7 (143 lbs (64.7 kg)), often used as the "most protective" reference in cohort studies.

Timelines assume ~7,700 kcal per kg of body fat. Real progress varies with muscle mass, adherence, and medications.

What this means

Multi-decade studies (notably the NIH-AARP cohort of more than 500,000 adults) link this BMI band to the lowest all-cause mortality.

Waist matters more than the scale

Two people can share the same BMI and have very different metabolic risk. For that reason, waist circumference is now considered a stronger predictor of cardiometabolic disease than BMI alone.

  • Waist-to-height rule: keep your waist under half your height — that means below 86 cm (34") at 172.7 cm.
  • Absolute cutoff for most adults: waist under 94 cm (37") is associated with meaningfully lower risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
  • Higher-risk zone: waist above 102 cm (40") — this is where risk climbs sharply regardless of BMI.

Precise ±5 lb neighbours at this height

WeightConversionBMICategory
155 lbs70.3 kg23.6Normal weight
156 lbs70.8 kg23.7Normal weight
157 lbs71.2 kg23.9Normal weight
158 lbs71.7 kg24.0Normal weight
159 lbs72.1 kg24.2Normal weight
160 lbs ← this page72.6 kg24.3Normal weight
161 lbs73 kg24.5Normal weight
162 lbs73.5 kg24.6Normal weight
163 lbs73.9 kg24.8Normal weight
164 lbs74.4 kg24.9Normal weight
165 lbs74.8 kg25.1Overweight

Practical next steps

  1. Keep a stable routine of movement, sleep (7–9 h), and balanced meals.
  2. Add resistance training to slow age-related muscle loss.
  3. Watch the trend, not the daily fluctuation — month-over-month is what matters.
  4. Check blood pressure and cholesterol annually.

Frequently asked questions

Is 160 lbs overweight for 5'8"?

160 lbs at 5'8" gives a BMI of 24.3, which is normal weight. The healthy range for 5'8" is 122–164 lbs.

What is the healthy weight for 5'8"?

122–164 lbs.

Related calculations

Sources & references